Sleep! The importance of sleep is everywhere in the media yet why is it still so elusive? It seems like—and studies have shown—that many Americans, about one-third, don’t get the proper sleep they need. A lack of sleep costs roughly $2,300 in lost productivity per worker each year. Look around at the people around you. Someone is yawning, someone else has droopy eyes, someone is about to grab another cup of coffee, and someone else is merely complaining about how tired they are. But you need good sleep to do well at work. And here’s why.
Good Sleep Defined
Establishing a healthy sleep pattern can make you a better worker and a happier person. There are three components to good sleep: quantity, quality, and regularity. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, and any less makes you sleep deprived. But the quality of your sleep is also essential, and even if you’re asleep, your body and mind might still be restless. It helps to avoid stimulating activities, caffeine, and alcohol before bed so you can sleep more deeply. Maintain a regular and predictable sleep schedule, so your body knows when it’s supposed to wind down and when it needs to perk up.
Sleep Deprivation Kills Your Productivity
When you don’t get enough sleep or your sleep is interrupted, you lose the ability to focus, work less efficiently, and develop serious impairments to your productivity. Sleep deprivation causes stress for your brain, which is the organ that’s responsible for all other bodily functions. A lack of sleep affects your memory, decision-making ability, and emotional control. It’s hard to be effective at work if you can’t focus, remember, or make decisions!
A Lack of Sleep Makes You Sick
In the short-term, a lack of sleep weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds, cases of flu, and other airborne illnesses. In the long-term, sleep deprivation and can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. It also affects your hormone production, causing depression, and leading to obesity. If you’re not healthy, you’re more likely to miss or be late for work.
Achieve Good Sleep Hygiene
Since sleep is so essential for our physical and mental well-being and affects everything else in our lives, it’s crucial to make it a priority. Maintain a regular sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Avoid caffeine, cigarettes, and alcohol before bed, so they don’t affect the quality of your sleep. Even some over-the-counter medications contain caffeine and other stimulants that might affect your sleep. Exercise so you wear out your body, but do so early in the day, so you don’t get over-stimulated in the evening. And make your bedroom a place that’s conducive to sleep—eliminate screens and lights and use curtains that block out outside lights.
If you are unproductive in your current position and you feel it might not be the amount of sleep you’re getting, it may be time to move on. For more information on finding your next job, contact Pridestaff Thousand Oaks today.
